Rapper Nelly is to perform in Saudi Arabia, but only men are allowed to attend

WASHINGTION POST

November 21, 2017

Photo: Seivan M. Salim, STR

FILE- In this March 13, 2015 file photo, rapper Nelly approaches the stage for a concert in Irbil, northern Iraq. Nelly is to perform at a male-only concert on Dec. 14 2017, in Saudi Arabia, but his planned concert in the ultraconservative country is not being welcomed by everyone. Some Saudis on social media are pointing to the American rapper's 2015 guilty plea for possession of marijuana, while others say it's disgraceful in light of a rape accusation against the rapper. (AP Photo/Seivan M. Salim, File)

FILE- In this March 13, 2015 file photo, rapper Nelly approaches...

American rapper Nelly, famous for songs such as "Hot in Herre" and "Dilemma," will visit Saudi Arabia next month for a concert in Jiddah with Algerian singer Cheb Khaled.

The Dec. 14 concert will probably be a big event for a country where, until recently, public music performances were heavily restricted.

However, the Saudi kingdom is in the midst of ambitious reforms led by 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. One element of these reforms was the creation of a new General Authority for Entertainment, reporting to have $2.7 billion worth of funding to rejuvenate Saudi leisure activities.

Though largely positively received on social media, Nelly's planned appearance in Jiddah may also highlight some of the growing pains for Saudi Arabia's entertainment sector: Notably, tickets to the event, which cost as much as $120, are available only to male attendees.

On Instagram and Twitter, some female fans complained about being excluded from the Grammy Award winner's concert, with one dubbing it a "stupid" policy to have a "male-only event." Other critics have pointed out that Nelly was recently accused of sexual assault, though the rapper was never charged, and that in 2015 he pleaded guilty to the possession of marijuana.

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Nelly is the second major American star to appear in Saudi Arabia this year. In May, country music star Toby Keith appeared at an event in Riyadh, the capital. Like Nelly, Keith also appeared at a male-only event, performing to a sold-out crowd alongside the well-known local lute player Rabeh Saqer.

Keith later said that he had been given strict instructions not to sing songs about drinking, marijuana or sex.

Such a dilemma may also face Nelly, whose most famous song references alcohol, alludes to marijuana and implores women to take off their clothes - all three no-nos in a country where alcohol is banned and drug smugglers face the death penalty.